Introduction

Quality assurance in education in North Macedonia is ensured through a combination of external evaluation and internal quality assurance mechanisms across all education levels.

External quality assurance is carried out by competent national bodies responsible for supervision, inspection, accreditation and evaluation, depending on the education sector. These bodies operate in accordance with national legislation and defined quality standards.

Internal quality assurance is implemented by educational institutions through self-evaluation and development planning processes. It aims to support continuous improvement of teaching, learning and institutional performance.

Recent legislative developments have strengthened the framework for quality assurance, particularly in school education and higher education.

Sources: Law on Education Inspection; Law on Primary Education; Law on Secondary Education; Law on Child Protection; Law on Higher Education; Law on Adult Education.

External Quality Assurance Mechanisms

External evaluation and supervision are carried out by three primary national bodies, each with distinct mandates to ensure the quality of the education system:

• State Education Inspection (SEI): Responsible for legal supervision and quality control of the educational and upbringing process at all levels, including lifelong learning. It ensures that educational institutions adhere to national legislation and standards.
• Bureau for Development of Education (BDE): Focuses on the qualitative aspects of education. It is responsible for monitoring, expert reviews, and the development of curricula and teaching methods for pre-school, primary, and secondary (general and vocational) education.
• State Examination Centre (SEC): Primarily responsible for organizing and implementing national assessments, such as the State Matura, as well as international assessments like PISA and TIMSS. Additionally, the SEC provides training and certification for school principals.

Internal Quality Assurance and Self-Evaluation

Internal quality assurance is a mandatory process for all educational institutions in North Macedonia. It is implemented through:

• Self-evaluation: A periodic internal review where schools assess their own performance against defined quality indicators.
• Development Planning: Based on self-evaluation results, institutions create multi-year development plans to improve teaching quality and student outcomes.

References and links

http://www.dic.edu.mk/
http://dpi.mon.gov.mk/
http://bro.gov.mk/
http://mon.gov.mk/index.php/dokumenti/strateshki-plan